1 Iſraél for their wickednes is oppreſſed of the Philiſtims. 3 The Angel appeareth to Manoahs wife. 16 The Angel commandeth him to ſacrifice vnto the Lord. 24 The birth of Samſón.

1.B ^g Vt the children of Iſraél continued to commit ^* wickednes in the ſight of the Lord, and the Lord deliuered them into the hands of the Philiſtims fortie yere.

2.¶ Then there was a man in Zoráh of the familie of the Danites, named Manóah, whoſe wife was ^h baren, and bare not.

3.And the Angel of the Lord appeared vnto the woman, and ſaid vnto her, Beholde now, thou art barren, and beareſt not : but thou ſhalt conceiue, and beare a ſonne.

4.And nowe therefore beware ^* that thou drinke no wine, nor ſtrong drinke, nether eat anie vncleane thing.

5.For lo, thou ſhalt conceiue and beare a ſonne, & no raſor ſhal ^* come on his head: for the childe ſhalbe a ^b Nazarite vnto God from his birth : and he ſhal begin to ſaue Iſraél out of the hands of the Philiſtíms.

6.¶ Then the wife came, & tolde her houſband, ſaying, A man of God came vnto me, and the facion of him was like the facion of y^e Angel of God exceding ^c fearful, but I aſked him not whence he was, nether tolde he me his name,

7.But he ſaid vnto me, Beholde, thou ſhalt conceiue, and beare a ſonne, and now thou ſhalt drinke no wine, nor ſtrong drinke, nether eat anie vncleane thing : for the childe ſhal be a Nazarite to God from his byrth to the day of his death.

8.Then Manóah ^d prayed to the Lord and ſaid, I pray thee, my Lord, let the man of God, whome thou ſenteſt, come againe now vnto vs, and teache vs what we ſhal do vnto the childe when he is borne.

9.And God heard the voyce of Manóah, & the Angel of God came againe vnto the wife, as ſhe ſate in the field, but Manóah her houſband was not with her.

10.¶ And the wife made haſte & ranne, and ſhewed her houſband and ſaid vnto him, Beholde, the man hathe appeared vnto me, that came vnto me ^e to day.

11.And Manóah aroſe and went after his wife, and came to the ^f man, and ſaid vnto him, Art thou the man that ſpakeſt vnto the woman? and he ſaid, Yea.

12.Then Manóah ſaid, Now let thy ſaying come to paſſe: but how ſhal we ordre the childe, and do vnto him?

13.And y^e Angel of the Lord ſaid vnto Manóah, The woman muſt beware of all that I ſaid vnto her.

14.She may eat of nothing that cometh of the vinetre : ſhe ſhal not drinke wine nor ſtrong drinke, nor eat anie ^g vncleane thing: let her obſerue all that I haue commanded her.

15.Manóah then ſaid vnto the Angel of the Lord, I pray thee, let vs reteine thee, vntil we haue made ready a kid for thee.

16.And the Angel of the Lord ſaid vnto Manóah, Thogh thou make me abide, I wil not eat of thy bread, and if thou wilt make a burnt offing, offer it vnto the ^h Lord: for Manóah knewe not that it was an Angel of the Lord.

17.Againe Manóah ſaid vnto y^e Angel of y^e Lord, What is thy name, y^t whē thy ſaying is come to paſſe, we may honour thee?

18.And y^e Angel of the Lord ſaid vnto him, Why aſkeſt y^u thus after my name, which is ^" ſecret?

19.Then Manóah toke a kid with a meat offring, and offred it vpon a ſtone vnto the Lord: and the Angel did ⁱ wonderouſly, whiles Manóah and his wife loked on.

20.For when the flame came vp towarde heauen from the altar, the Angel of the Lord aſcended vp in the flame of the altar, and Manóah and his wife beheld it, & fel on their faces vnto the ground.

21.(So the Angel of the Lord did no more appeare vnto Manóah and his wife) Thé Manóah knewe that it was an Angel of y^e Lord.

22.And Manóah ſaid vnto his wife, ^* We ſhal ſurely dye, becauſe we haue ſene God.

23.But his wife ſaid vnto him, If the Lord wolde kil vs, he wolde not haue receiued a ^k burnt offring, and a meat offring of our hands, nether wolde he haue ſhewed vs all theſe things, nor wolde now haue tolde vs anie ſuche.

24.¶ And the wife bare a ſonne, and called his name Samſón: and the childe grewe, & the Lord bleſſed him.

25.And the Spirit of y^e Lord began to ^" ſtrēgthē him in the hoſte of Dan, betwene Zoráh, and Eſhtaól.

Judges 13

Notes